‘Fast casual’ burger restaurants proposed for Adrian, Tecumseh

If everything goes as planned, within the next year a different style of hamburger restaurant will be open at two locations in Lenawee County.

Eric Potter, who operates the Little Caesars restaurant in Tecumseh and at two other locations, plans to open Chomp Burger, where customers can watch their burger being made from fresh, organic meat in the open kitchen. He is looking at buying the property at the corner of Front and North Main Streets in Adrian and the property on East Chicago Boulevard at North Maumee Street in Tecumseh.

Kirk Valentine of Sphere Project Management of Adrian is the project manager. He and Potter came to Monday’s Tecumseh City Council meeting to discuss their proposal. Valentine said the idea has been to put the restaurants as close to the Adrian and Tecumseh downtowns as possible.

“The building will have an all-brick facade and a wide, open feel,” Valentine said. “It will have an atrium with outdoor seating. They want to build their own charm into the building. They want a variety of seating styles plus carry-out.”

Potter said the family had been looking at expanding the Little Caesars at another location, but decided instead on a project that would include owning the property. They are also selling their Little Caesars store in southern Ohio.

Valentine said they had looked for a location in downtown Tecumseh, but could not find a site that suited the plan. The location they are seeking is on the edge of downtown but would still have the benefits of the city’s central business district. The project would include adding parking with access from both North Maumee and East Chicago.

Potter, who has operated the Tecumseh Little Caesars since 2005, said the time frame will depend solely on which piece of property can be bought first. The city owns the property in Tecumseh — which is the location of the community garden and formerly housed the law office of former city attorney Greg Forsthoefel. The Adrian property, now owned by the Lenawee County land bank, was a gas station. Once a property is bought, a restaurant will be built, with construction of the second one to follow after completion of the first.

Chomp Burger has locations in Bloomington, Ind., and Solvay, Calif. However, Potter said it is not a franchise but an individually owned restaurant. They expect to hire at least 20 people at each location.

The menu is burgers, fries and drinks, including soft drinks, lemonade, craft beer, juices and handmade milkshakes. The burgers will be made of beef, buffalo, elk, wild boar, chicken or black beans, with traditional condiments plus toppings such as avocado, pineapple and bacon. People will be able to watch their food being prepared.

“Everything is open. People come up to the counter to order,” Potter said. “No food will be prepared without your knowledge or out of your view.”

Tecumseh City Manager Kevin Welch said that unlike most potential businesses, the city will have a say, other than just site approval. Councilman Jack Baker said the council has three weeks before the next meeting, which allows for information gathering.

“We first need to consider the value of the property,” he said.

Several other council members said they liked the project, but agreed more information is needed. Baker added the city has owned the property since Forsthoefel retired more than 20 years ago.

Welch said he and Paula Holtz, economic development director, will bring information back to the council for one of the April meetings.